Page 85 of Knot Happening

I ignore Lady and my other coworker, since they seem to sense danger, and hustle the fuck outta there. They’re innocent in this, even if my instincts think homicide is the answer.

“You fucking win, okay? You care less than I do. You want me less than I want you. I mean less to you, then you do to me! Now, please, just leave. Stop torturing me and punishing me for fucking destroying everything.” The tears in my eyes spill down my cheeks, and I swipe them away angrily. I shake my head atthem, wanting them to remember this moment. My pain and the scent of my anger and heartbreak.

I walked away from them because I had to. Don’t they understand? This is what's best for all of us. What if they fall in love with me, and then I die? It could destroy their pack.

Or if one of them died. I choke on a sob as the thought stabs through me, and my chest threatens to crack open right here in front of them. The pain is intense, and I press a hand over my heart. Can’t they see… Don’t they understand? This… This feeling is so intense just from the thought of one of them leaving me…

“Tatum, we’re sorry. This was a mistake. They took it too far…” Hayden stands, reaching for me, but I stumble back, away from him, throwing my hands up defensively.

“No! No, Hayden. This is too much. I can’t take this… Can’t you see how much this is hurting me? I-I can’t…” I turn away from their broken expressions and stumble my way to the locker rooms.

“Baby, what the hell, are you okay? Do you know those Alphas? Shit, I’m sorry!” Lady rushes to comfort me when I finally make my escape into the locker room.

“Yeah, if we had known they were trying to fuck with you–” my other coworker adds.

“Don’t worry, I know you didn’t know. I’m not upset at you, I swear.” I’m saying all this through my sobs as I head for the sinks.

“We’re all Omegas here. We know how it is. You don’t have to lie to us, Hun,” Lady says as she pats my back, trying to soothe me, but there’s a hint of Declan’s scent clinging to her. I shake my head.

“I’m okay, really, can I just have a sec?” I sniff, grabbing a paper towel to try and clean my tears off my cheeks.

“Of course.” They leave me there, and once I’m alone, I let out a sob. My anger is burning a hole in my heart. My already damaged heart.

I drop to the bench, when the locker room door creaks open. I glance at the door, expecting Candy so she can send me home after my outburst.

“What the fuck? You can’t be in here!” I screech, jumping to my feet.

“We fucked up,” Declan murmurs.

“They fucked up and dragged me along with them,” Hayden offers unhelpfully. He didn’t touch a single girl and kept his eyes on me the entire time. But he did nothing to stop his brothers either.

“We fucked up, but you’re wrong, Tatum. Every fucking word you said is wrong. We lose. Without you, we lose. You don’t mean less, and you never have. We don’t care less. Fuck, we care so much we couldn’t think straight. We were so desperate to prove you cared, that we tried to make you jealous, so your instincts would kick in again like before…” Declan trails off, shoving his hands in his hair, looking at me with pure desperation in his eyes. “We want you. Only you. No other Omega, but you, and we will never fuck up so badly again.” Declan’s words are like an arrow to my heart, and more sobs crack me open before them. I feel like it’s left me bleeding at their feet.

“Please leave,” I beg, because I’m too raw. Too scarred, and too hurt.

“We’ll go, but we’re not giving up, Tatum. Not fucking ever,” Kodiak promises. “I’m sorry for my part in this. But I’ll make it up to you.”

Hayden takes a step toward me, before his brother drags him back.

“You’re the only girl I’ll ever want, Starlight. The only one I’ve ever loved, and the only one I will ever love. You can push me away, but I will always come back to you.”

And with those parting words, the three Alphas leave me there in the locker room, broken and crying. Their instincts must be ripping them up inside, demanding they comfort me.

I want everything they offered, but tonight just showed me how much I can’t have any of it or whether I can trust it. They’ll hurt me. Even when they don’t want to.

Declan

I’m pack lead. I should have fucking known better! But ever since Tatum whispered Broken, our instincts have been so fucked.

Ten days. Ten fucking days of hell.

We gave her space, hoping she just needed a moment to think and breathe. Then she sent that fucking email. I’d sent my laptop flying into the wall of my office, scaring the shit out of a customer who had walked past the door at the exact wrong moment. In response, they knocked on my door.

All the employees know not to knock.

Kodiak found me hiding under my desk just moments later. Normally, a knock on my door would simply startle me. Maybe have me barking at the offender.

Not diving for cover like a fucking coward.

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